If you're reading this, whoever you are, wherever you are, and whatever you celebrate, I hope that you're lucky enough to have a family or friend tradition that you look forward to each year. The cynic will tell you that a holiday is simply another day that has some manufactured significance assigned to it, and maybe they're right in some cases. Still, life's too complicated and confusing to not have things to look forward to, so even if the inception of holidays are meant to be a cash-grab, any excuse you have to spend time with the people you love and/or do the things you love is a good excuse in my book. It's why I love holiday shows so much. Most of the time, the band(s) playing don't have anything recent to promote; they're just trying to get one show or a few more shows into their logs before the end of the year, are playing close to their hometown or town or origin for the most part, and there's usually a few great surprises along the way, too. It seems there's a few new ones that pop up each year, and this year, Midtown returned to their old stomping grounds in New Jersey to start their own holiday tradition. Armed with a holiday-inclusive concept, Midtown's First Annual Chrismukkah Show brought bands from all different walks of the scene to the Wellmont Theater to jump-start everyone's holiday cheer.
In a move that invoked the old adage "Age Before Beauty," the night began with the youngest band on the bill, as Jersey-born punk band Save Face stormed the stage. Clad in their now-signature blood-red jumpsuits and an energy that few possess, the band played a set consisting almost entirely of their career-best release Another Kill for the Highlight Reel. Vocalist Tyler Povanda was a firecracker onstage, never staying in the same spot for too long, and the fans that arrived early to catch the band's set were treated to an energetic set that helped shake the chill out of the the room.
After reuniting in June to celebrate the 20-year anniversary of their signature album A Collection of Short Stories, things were radio-silent in the Houston Calls camp. This made their inclusion in this bill all the more welcome, as any opportunity to see the north-Jersey band play their hits like "Exit, Emergency" and "Bob and Bonnie" is an opportunity to be seized. While the band noted the troubles of being a semi-unretired band--including members who traveled double-digit hours to be at the show--it appears that those shows in June cleared any cobwebs the band had in their system. I always find it notable when a band is all smiles onstage, and that's exactly what the crowd saw throughout HC's time onstage.
Though they were the only band to take the Wellmont stage that didn't have roots in New Jersey, there was something about Piebald's performance that had them feeling right at home. Whether it was frontperson Travis Shettel writhing around his microphone as he sang, his dry stage banter ("If you only know one Piebald song, it's probably this one," he joked before the band ripped into "American Hearts"), or the energy brimming from guitarist Aaron Stuart and bassist Andrew Bonner, there was a clear increase in volume coming from those onstage and those standing near it when the Massachusetts emo-rock act played. The band seemed to have kept the right company, as Midtown's Gabe Saporta was watching sidestage for their entire set; he would later go on to shout out the band during Midtown's set as one of his all-time favorites. The band have been spotted here and there for reunion shows in the past few years, so let's keep our fingers crossed that they continue to step onstage again soon.
As Midtown took to the stage to open the set with the now-customary "Just Rock 'n Roll," the spirit of the evening was fully realized. This was the first time I'd seen the band perform, and the band's energy immediately stood out, particularly from the three members who handling vocal duties: guitarists Heath Saraceno and Tyler Rann, along with Saporta. It would be fair to call the band's set career-spanning, but that doesn't exactly paint the entire picture of Midtown's performance; they spanned the career of some other bands, too. It started when the band paused to address those assembled. Mentioning that given their age, and the long gap since their last formal release, Saporta seemed to want to set expectations properly that fans should not be expecting any new Midtown material soon. However, the band did release something special this year: an appropriately-title covers EP that they called We're Too Old to Write New Songs, So Here's Some Old Songs We Didn't Write. The band played their cover of Lagwagon's "Know it All," and found some interesting spots to intertwine segments of some other songs as interludes between their own. Whether it was the snippet of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" or The Smiths' "Where is My Mind?", it was great to see the band give a peek into their listening habits and/or influences throughout the night.
The well of music outside of their own wasn't the only surprise Midtown prepared for their inaugural Chrismukkah special. When the band was on its Resurrection Tour last year, dates that were scheduled after the band were given the coveted opening slot on the My Chemical Romance reunion tour, they had some fun with "Another Boy," a short song from their album Save the World, Lose the Girl. During the band's holiday shows, they would play the song 4 or 5 times, with one iteration of the 45-second track being a slowed-down, country music-style rendition lead by Saraceno. For Chrismukkah, the band continued their new tradition of playing the track twice, starting with Saraceno's Nashville-inspired take and followed by the band's punk-rock original. By the time "Give it Up" closed out the band's set, there was nothing left to be desired from Midtown's set.
And yet, they persisted. After a brief drink break, the band proved they saved their best surprise on a night full of them for last. Saraceno and Rann were the first to return to the stage, accompanied by a member of the band's team, dressed in the pink bunny suit Ralphie dons in A Christmas Story, playing sleigh bells. From there, the band started to play a cover of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," but their cover felt reminiscent of a rendition that another New Jersey artist made famous. After the first chorus, Saporta and drummer Rob Hitt returned to the fold, and it marked the first time Saporta played bass, as he did when the band rose to fame. Throughout the set, the bassist duties were passed on to Benjamin Lichtman, referred to as "Benny Two Times" by his bandmates. Lichtman's absence could have been chalked to the band wanting to perform with their original lineup for the encore, but there was a far better reason. As the time came for the expected saxophone solo (provided on The Boss's version by The Big Man, Clarence Clemons), Lichtman finally emerged onstage, in a full Santa suit, saxophone strapped to his neck. As he let the solo wail, the band members' children in attendance also emerged onstage, launching candy cane souvenirs into the crowd for the rest of the song. After that, the band made two important acknowledgements: first, a fan proposal (she said yes!), followed by a brief celebration for Heath Saraceno's birthday. Before playing the last two of their own songs, Saporta made a poignant proclamation: while the band are older now, with families to provide for, and not enough time to work on new material, they still have the drive and passion to put on shows, and as long as their fans are around for them, they'd continue their new holiday tradition of hosting the Chrismukkah special. If the band feels that a show next year has merit, it'll exciting to see how they top themselves next year.
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